It’s no secret on Instagram that I have a serious collection of Montegrappa pens and so I often get fun comments and questions from my pen buddies. How many? Which ones? Don’t you have the…? What is it about Montegrappa that you like?

Well, it all began at the DC Pen Show in August 2016 with one of my favorite pen show buddies, Mario Campa. As with most of my pens, my first Montegrappa pen found me and so began my love affair. I remember that day perfectly because it was my first pen show ever. I was so excited because I signed up for Deborah Basel’s Italics Calligraphy class which was from 1pm-5pm, so I got there as early as I could to see what this pen show thing was all about.

I recall being nervous in the elevator like the newbie that I was, so I chatted up the guy next to me. He looked like he knew exactly what he was doing and where he was going, which was the Pen Show ballroom! I don’t remember exactly what I said as we walked together because I think I tripped over myself when he told me he had 355 pens in his collection! I was like a little kid on Christmas morning walking into that ballroom, giddy and starry-eyed and beyond excited.

And whose table did I arrive at first? Mario’s table, where I was instantly greeted with a smile and an eager offer to help me find what I was looking for in a pen.

At that time, I only had a few pens including a white LAMY Safari, a Parker Urban Premium, and a LAMY Joy calligraphy pen, and I had only just discovered Instagram the month before. Really, I had no idea what I was looking for. And that is how I discovered that the pen always finds me.

In perfect Mario fashion, he just simply handed me a pen and he said “I think you might really like this one.” It was a beautiful red Montegrappa Extra Rosso Veneziano with a stunning two-tone nib.

I had several thoughts running through my head in that moment. Why would this guy hand me a red pen? Why would he hand me a pen at all? Wasn’t I supposed to look around and ask if I could touch? Wow, this really is a pretty pen. Wait, why would he hand me a red pen? He doesn’t know anything about me. Wow, this pen is actually stunning! (Okay, you get the idea.)

Mario didn’t say much about the pen except that it was a really special pen, which I could see and feel that I was holding a very beautiful writing instrument.

I knew this pen was going to be mine and so began a rich collection which includes a beautiful Montegrappa Macassar Ebony pen box.

The next Montegrappa that I acquired was a Blue Passione followed by the American Dream Rollerball that I won in a Pen World Magazine essay contest. The list continues and culminates with number 20 in my collection which is the copper Limited Edition Grappa that I discovered at the Montegrappa Factory in Bassano del Grappa.

My affinity for the Montegrappa brand lies mostly in the aesthetic and shape of the pens themselves, but it is always the nib that does it for me. I love the etching of a typical Montegrappa nib, and I have a few Limited Edition pens that have beautifully ornate designs. For example, the seahorse on my Colore Di Mar Seashell and the grapes on the Grappa nib are so unique and perfectly fitting for the pens.

I realized a dream come true when I visited the Montegrappa Factory in Bassano del Grappa in November 2019. Look for a journal post coming soon about this amazing tour of the factory!

My Love Affair With Montegrappa